Long time no post

This has been some while in coming but mostly because I have had quite a lot to do. I had a good day out on the Wsadale fells yesterday - a clear sky, very cold but excellent nonetheless. I had set a target of completing all of the Wainwright fells by December 2007 but with 29 to go this is going to take a lot longer. Golf has taken over as the number one outdoor pursuit! It just is not excellent golfing weather.

Books - Confusion going slowly but it is going... Derren Brown - Tricks of the mind - finished on Friday - a useful trip round the how the human mind works and can be manipulated. Stupendous rebuttal of "psychics" and "mediums" - worth the ocver price on this chapter alone. Unfortunately he feels the need to poke at the religious debate and I feel that this cheapens and weakens his work and his desire to massage the ego of that arch idiot Richard Dawkins, just serves to take the edge of what is otherwise a very good book.

On the subject of Dawkins, I am now readng Alistair McGraths book "The Dawkin Delusion" which is a splendid; if short, crack at the lack of logical reasoning in Dawkins book. I fear that Dawkins is merely another celebrity now and would not have sold quite as many copies of his dreadful diatribe had it not been for his "name" and the deliberately contentious nature of the book's title. I suspect that a good number of the purchasers have not actually read the book and even if they did would not have the intellectual capacity to see through the rather weak and poorly rehearsed arguments presented. I think Mr Dawkins book sells well precisely because people are looking for "something else" in their lives and if only they could "put it to bed", then they would feel better about not looking any more. This could work if they read it, but as I said, I wonder just how many "readers" he has.

The kind of God in which I believe is, I think, a good deal different to the commonly portrayed example. I have a strong scientific background and the whole raft of issues currently surrounding "reality" give us a glimpse into the real nature of God. As I read more I'll flesh this out further but I cant help but feel a twinge of excitement with the whole atheism / theology debate, that it is long overdue and has a great potential to advance the whole of human wellbeing.

Anyhow I have done a bit more toward the annual Christmas Card manufacture marathon o they should be out in time! I have also managed to cook a three course meal:
Celeriac soup with saffron and scallops
Crabcakes with lemon mayo and parsnip/sweet potato chips and Thai salad
Black Forest Gateau
The Gateau mentioned does nothing for the actual process of creation, requiring manufacture of a Kirsch cream, flourless sponge, chocolate ganache, madeleine biscuit and aerated milk chocolate. That Heston Blumethal has a lot to answer for...
Now to eat it as I am writing this between courses.

This is Monday

Well the weekend has been and gone and this morning has been and gone and thank goodness for that.

I finished the Stephen Booth book - very formulaic in the end but a reasonable read - If you like his other work then this one will be no surprise. Started in on "Tricks of the mind" Derren Brown. I took my 14yo son to see Derren earlier in the year - it is a show that does not dissapoint. He is an excellent performer both live and on TV. His book is a bit of an insight into how he uses his mind. So far it is much of a recap of things I already thought I knew but the "peg" system for remembering numbers looks to have much promise for me. If I was asked how I remember things - and I do hold a lot in my memory, I would say that it was by association but that I dont really know as it just comes naturally..

Anyhow - watched a really good film - Babel - a real "must see". I did feel however that the story could have been deepened and the production spread over 2 films. Gripping to the end but not an easy watch.

Making the family Christmas card at the moment - appears to be going well but there is much to do. We shall see how the job progresses through this week.

Friday - end of firework season

Tis approaching the end of the firework season and soon I will be able to stop prescribing vast amounts of diazepam to calm the nerves of the nations neurotic pets. This will be a great step forward and we can return to normality for the next 11months.

The whole firework thing is great BUT... can we limit it to one weekend? It merely seems to be an excuse for antisocial behaviour and there are vast numbers of pets which are obviously considerably affected by the noise. Year on year we aim to help earlier but most owners seem content to leave it til the last minute. If they took earlier action perhaps we could improve the whole situation further. Come on pet owning public sort it out next month! Get a sound training CD from your vet ASAP and by next season things will be much better.

Anyway .. Books - nearly finished the Stephen Booth - not too bad... plot improved with further reading. A bit of old tradition mixed with newer drugs related issues has made for a reasonable book but I don't find constable Cooper as engaging as perhaps I should.

Bought biscuits for the nurses - they liked them.
Ate a white-chocolate fudge cake with my afternoon cappucino - those kilos will never go!
Off on christmas present hunt tomorrow..

Sunday is for fun

Firstly: This is all a bit so you will all have to bear with me.. Secondly: I have only a vague command of English Grammar, so please accept this prior to reading further. Thirdly - I have absolutely 100% certainty that no-one wil read this, so if you do, let me know as then I shall know that it is not just for my benefit. Finally - this blog is about the things that make my little life go along so it could seem a little dull for the casual observer. OK that lot out of the way...


What am I reading?
At work I am slowly working my way through "The confusion", the 2nd book in Neal Stephensons Baroque cycle. Although it is excellent, there are long detailed passages surrounding the political and financial complications of the plot. This slows the narrative substantially but does give a great deal of depth. It would seem that the book is actually a "confusion" of 2 books Juncto and Bonanza, and as the timeframe for both is concurrent, the books are broken down into several sections and presented in a series of parts. However by the time I have finished a chapter, I have forgotten which year we were in so I have to refer back to make sure I can make sense of the interposition. All that said, at 10 pages a day, an 800 page book is taking some time...

At home I am reading "Dying to Sin" by Stephen Booth. I have read all Stephens previous books and this one seems quite lacklustre in comaprison. The plot is quite interesting but the whole progress is quite slow and despite having read nearly a third of the book I couldnt give a stuff about the characters or what happens. I will finish it and will keep this blog updated on progress.

Also I am reading "Animal Theology" by Andrew Linzey. This is a remarakble text in that it focuses on Christianity as it relates to our treatment of animals. Professor Linzey has an holistic approach to creation and this runs counter to a great deal of thinking on the subject. I am not a vegan yet but then again I havent yet read that chapter.

I also have a bookmark in "Shelter medicine for Veterinarians and Support Staff" edited by Lila Miller and Stephen Zawistowski. This is an excellent reference for any vet involved in shelter work. I had a great chat with Lila Miller at a recent conference and her book will prove very useful to the work I do.

Today I attended church and even hosted the visiting minister for lunch afterwards. This afternoon I took a walk out along the beach with said minister to get some fresh air and discuss the matters of the day and various god related issues.